Prologue

Somewhere in rural Western India

Lara woke up, staring into the face of an old man. She was lying completely naked on a bed, in a small room of what appeared to be a hut. The man was smiling at her, apparently pleased she had woken up. He looked old and weathered, so much so that his skin had become darker than coal, with wrinkles like an old tired tree. But at least, he does not look dangerous.

«Three wikks» he said in heavily accented English. Holding three fingers up. «We fand you in jungre.» Lara tried to speak, but her mouth was too dry. Her body felt heavy as well, and she found it hard to move. The old man saw her struggling to move and put a hand over her arm.

«One wikk more, rest.», he said before he covered her with a ragged blanket and then left.

Oh no, Lara thought, three weeks in a coma and my body feels almost paralyzed. This can't be good. She closed her eyes and tried to sleep, too tired to think any more about her situation. But in the back of her head, she couldn't help thinking that the old man's accent had sounded Indian.

Four weeks earlier she had traveled to the eastern regions of Africa, in search of an artifact called «Curious Pearl» (directly translated). No one knew exactly what this artifact was, or what it looked like, but the legends and myths surrounding it were many and old. That, of course, spurred Lara's curiosity, and she set out after it. The last thing she remembered was opening the lid of a chest inside some ancient ruin and seeing something red.

Strange, the Tomb Raider thought on the verge of sleep. Why can't she remember anything? How has she ended up here, without anything but her body?

A week went by, and as the old man had promised, Lara was almost slowly recovered from the various remedies he had given her. She had discovered that she was indeed in India, and had no idea how she had got there. The old man was some kind of guru who lived in isolation only visited once in a while by people who came for medical aid or religious advice. Lara didn't understand his language, and although he knew some English, it wasn't nearly enough for them to be able to have a conversation.

But the situation was fine for her, as the old Guru really seemed to be a kind and generous old man, showing little greed or lust towards the young foreign women under his care.

It must be the 8th day of her awakening when Lara felt strong enough to leave the little hut. She was still weak, but Lara thinks that she would be fine as she seems to have suffered no serious injuries or after her mysterious travel ...